Advice needed on gas ranges

[Dan Mages]

So my sister is in need of a new free standing gas range. She is convinced that she needs one with two ovens. One example is the Maytag MGR6751BDW. Does anyone here have experience with these types of ovens or have any recommendations on a model for her? Any comments on Maytag or Jenn-Air product quality??

Thanks!

Dan

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I have had Jenn Air products. They used to be OK now however I wouldn't buy them. Same with Kitchen Aid. I haven't owned a Maytag but my daughter has and she found 'em unreliable and over priced: sort of like an American car.

I have a 30+ Kitchen Aid year old food processor that just won't quit but the stove and fridge I bought 7 years ago were pure garbage. Everything broke. The stove locked up in clean mode the computer chip was hinky, the glass top shattered, the convection fan wasn't mounted well so it destroyed it's own shaft before falling off.

The Kitchen Aide fridge was plagued with cracks in all the plastic components the wheels were always falling off the drawers and the tracks broke and the internal shell fractured in several places from internal stresses as well at the points where the drawers hung from the mounts.

I'm re-doing a kitchen now and the range top (Gas) is a Wolfe dual burner range top (blower mounted on the roof). The Ovens are Thermadore electric dual wall ovens. The fridge is Thermadore.

I'll prolly hate them in 7 - 10 years too. There's nothing that helps you critique a product's flaws and failures like those years you have with it after you purchased it.

[Jim Becker]

I seriously suggest she do "dual fuel" with gas on top and electric for the ovens. Much better setup for baking, etc., as electric is more even in the case of an oven. (But I'd never cook on an electric cooktop if I have the choice)

Jen-Aire and KitchenAid have some very nice products these days. If your sister lives near an Expo store, that's a great place to look at these brands as well as the next step up into Wolf, DCS, Viking, etc.

BTW, space is also a consideration. A double oven with one full size (commercial width) and one small auxiliary oven puts you into a 48" range. (That's what I cook on) For a double full size oven setup, you'll need to go to the 60" range. A reasonable alternative might be the combination of a regular 36" range with one full size oven and a wall oven as a second unit. Again, that's all about space...

[Jim Tobias]

Dan,
I agree with Jim. We bought a Jenn Aire unit thats gas on top and electric ovens. It has a double oven (1 small and the other larger). 5 burners on top My wife loves it and if I cook an omelet or such, I have enjoyed it also.

Jim

[Tom Godley]

That Maytag unit is an odd duck -- It gives you the ability to use the upper oven as a warming drawer -- or to cook another item while you are roasting something in the main oven. Doing all of this within a standard oven size.

The idea is a good one for someone who often needs to cook that way. I can not tell if the upper unit can broil. One bad design I can see is that the controls for the burner are on the side -- this forces the burners to be closer together -- I would not like that.

Most units with double ovens are 48 inches wide -- they are not only $$ but the size, weight and vent requirements can really change a kitchen layout. That is why many go with wall ovens and cooktops.

I have a 48 inch unit that is all gas -- I wanted gas ovens for two reasons - one was to have a radiant broiler the other was to bake bread in the smaller oven. But I will agree with others -- most people like the electric ovens. If for no other reason than they self clean well.